Summary
Terry Ott is a Principal Data Engineer with over a decade of experience designing and modernizing cloud-centric, large-scale distributed data systems for government and enterprise customers. He blends deep systems and software expertise—from Python, Java, C++, and Spark to modern data formats like Parquet, Avro, and Apache Iceberg—with hands-on cloud architecture on AWS. Terry has led technical efforts at startups and major organizations (including AWS, Northrop Grumman, and DigitalGlobe), founded an engineering-focused LLC for open-source projects, and ran a nonprofit delivering atomic clock-grade network time to underserved regions. He is comfortable moving between high-level architectural vision and low-level implementation details, having authored technical volumes for competitive bids and served as principal investigator on awarded contracts. Based in McLean, VA, he brings a rare combination of mission-driven work in national security and practical open-source curiosity around tools like polars and protobufs.
10 years of coding experience
21 years of employment as a software developer
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
MS Computer Science, MS Computer Science at Purdue University